Exploring the Factors Affecting Purchase Intention of Halal Certified Foods in Turkey: A PLS-Path Modeling Study

The global market value of the halal food industry was estimated at US$1.1 trillion in 2013. The halal food industry is growing in a number of markets, mainly in countries in the Middle East, North Africa and the South East Asia region. Indonesia is the biggest halal food market with a market value of$197 billion; Turkey is the second largest market with an estimated market value of $100 billion. The halal food sector has great potential to drive the global economy. Despite the halal food industry having a significant share in the global economy, the number of empirical studies that have been conducted on the consumer purchase behavior of halal food is quite limited. In order to fill this gap, we aimed to investigate the factors influencing intention to purchase halal certified products among Muslim consumers in Turkey. The data were collected by means of self-administered questionnaires from consumers and the study was conducted in Kayseri, Turkey. The convenience sampling method was used and a total of 650 questionnaires were collected between February and March 2014. The PLS-Path modeling analysis results reveal that consumers’ preference for halal certified products, consumers' religiosity level, price and sales promotions are important factors influencing consumers’ halal food purchase intention. Keywords: Consumer behavior, halal certified products, purchase intention, religiosity, and partial least square analysis

Hydatid Disease Involving Some Rare Locations in the Body: a Pictorial Essay

Hydatid disease (HD) is an endemic illness in many countries, and it poses an important public health problem that's influenced by peoples' socioeconomic status and migration that spreads this disease. Although rare, it may occur in any organ or tissue. The most common site is the liver (59-75%), followed in frequency by lung (27%), kidney (3%), bone (1-4%) and brain (1-2%). Other sites such as the heart, spleen, pancreas and muscles are very rarely affected. Unusual sites for this disease can cause diagnostic problems. This pictorial essay illustrates various radiological findings of HD in the liver, spleen, kidney, pancreas, peritoneal cavity, omentum, adrenal, ovary, lung, mediastinum and retroperitoneum. Familiarity with the imaging findings of HD may be helpful in making an accurate diagnosis and preventing potential complications

Design and Testing of a Multi-Sensor Pedestrian Location and Navigation Platform

Navigation and location technologies are continually advancing, allowing ever higher accuracies and operation under ever more challenging conditions. The development of such technologies requires the rapid evaluation of a large number of sensors and related utilization strategies. The integration of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) with accelerometers, gyros, barometers, magnetometers and other sensors is allowing for novel applications, but is hindered by the difficulties to test and compare integrated solutions using multiple sensor sets. In order to achieve compatibility and flexibility in terms of multiple sensors, an advanced adaptable platform is required. This paper describes the design and testing of the NavCube, a multi-sensor navigation, location and timing platform. The system provides a research tool for pedestrian navigation, location and body motion analysis in an unobtrusive form factor that enables in situ data collections with minimal gait and posture impact. Testing and examples of applications of the NavCube are provided

Measurement and clinical implications of choroidal thickness in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

ABSTRACTPurpose:Ocular inflammation is a frequent extraintestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and may parallel disease activity. In this study, we evaluated the utility of a choroidal thickness measurement in assessing IBD activity.Methods:A total of 62 eyes of 31 patients with IBD [Crohn's disease (CD), n=10 and ulcerative colitis (UC), n=21] and 104 eyes of 52 healthy blood donors were included in this study. Choroidal thickness was measured using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. The Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) and the modified Truelove Witts score were used to assess disease activity in CD and UC, respectively.Results:No significant differences in mean subfoveal, nasal 3000 μm, or temporal 3000 μm choroidal thickness measurements (P>0.05 for all) were observed between IBD patients and healthy controls. Age, smoking, CD site of involvement (ileal and ileocolonic involvement), CDAI, CD activity, and UC endoscopic activity index were all found to be significantly correlated with choroidal thickness by univariate analysis (P<0.05). Smoking (P<0.05) and the CD site of involvement (P<0.01) were the only independent parameters associated with increased choroidal thickness at all measurement locations.Conclusions:Choroidal thickness is not a useful marker of disease activity in patients with IBD but may be an indicator of ileal involvement in patients with CD

Effects of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery on Olfactory and Taste Functions

Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that olfactory function was impaired in patients, who underwent on-pump CABG in the postoperative period, and significant impairment in taste function was present in neither off-pump nor on-pump CABG patients. However, the results of our study should be supported by more comprehensive, prospective, randomized controlled trials with more extensive patient series and by further tests

Comparison of two in situ corneal donation technique: morgue trephination or scleracorneal removal technique.

To compare the two different 'in situ' methods of corneal trephination technique under morgue condition (morgue trephination technique, MTT) and classic scleracorneal removal technique (SRT)

Sieving Effect of Heat-Denatured Milk Proteins During Ultrafiltration of Skim Milk. I. The Preliminary Approach

The effect of heat treatment of skim milk on the ultrafiltration process was examined. The change in permeate collection rate was explained as a function of heat-induced modifications of the milk protein system. It is suggested that there was a sieving effect which contributed to the acceleration of permeate flow-down during membrane filtration. It is thought that this resulted from formation of complex structures between heat-denatured whey proteins and casein micelles.WoSScopu

Effect of corneal cross-linking on contact lens tolerance in keratoconus

Background: The aim was to investigate changes in corneal sensation and rigid gas-permeable (RGP) contact lens tolerance after corneal cross-linking (CXL) on patients with keratoconus